Related papers: Proper fluctuations associated with quantum tunnel…
Various aspects of time-dependent processes are studied within the large N approximation of O(N) vector models in three dimensions. These include the rolling of fields, the tunneling and decay of vacua. We present an exact solution for the…
The tunneling wave function of the universe is investigated in a minisuperspace framework of a de Sitter universe with a quantum scalar field, treated as a perturbation. We consider three different approaches to defining the tunneling wave…
This paper studies the decay of a large, closed domain wall in a closed universe. Such walls can form in the presence of a broken, discrete symmetry. We study a novel process of quantum decay for such a wall, in which the vacuum fluctuates…
The time evolution of a closed system of mean fields and fluctuations is Hamiltonian, with the canonical variables parameterizing the general time-dependent Gaussian density matrix of the system. Yet, the evolution manifests both quantum…
We derive the fluctuation theorem for quantum-state statistics that can be obtained when we initially measure the total energy of a quantum system at thermal equilibrium, let the system evolve unitarily, and record the quantum-state data…
We investigate the tunneling process between two symmetric stable islands of a forced pendulum Hamiltonian in the weak chaos regime. We show that when the tunneling doublet is quantized over a classical non-linear resonance the tunneling…
Recent discussions suggest the possibility that short distance physics can significantly modify the behavior of quantum fluctuations in the inflationary universe, and alter the standard large scale structure predictions. Such modifications…
The standard vacuum bounce formalism suffers from inconsistencies when applied to thermal bubble nucleation, for which ad hoc workarounds are commonly adopted. Identifying the length scales on which nucleation takes place, we demonstrate…
The fundamental problem of how tunneling in thermal medium is completed is addressed, and a new time scale of order 1/friction for its termination, which is usually much shorter than the Hubble time, is pointed out. Enhanced non-linear…
Within the B\"{u}ttiker dephasing model, the backscattering in the dephasing process is eliminated by setting a proper boundary condition. Explicit expression is carried out for the effective total tunneling probability in the presence of…
We derive an uncertainty relation for the energy density and pressure of a quantum scalar field in a time-dependent, homogeneous and isotropic, classical background, which implies the existence of large fluctuations comparable to their…
The macroscopic fluctuation theory provides a complete hydrodynamic description of non-equilibrium classical diffusive systems. As a first step towards a diffusive theory of open quantum systems, we show how to construct a microscopic open…
Real world quantum systems are open to perpetual influence from the wider environment. Quantum gravitational fluctuations provide a most fundamental source of the environmental influence through their universal interactions with all forms…
We consider a minisuperspace model for a closed universe with small and positive cosmological constant, filled with a massive scalar field conformally coupled to gravity. In the quantum version of this model, the universe may undergo a…
It is shown that the curvature of space-time induced by vacuum fluctuations of quantum fields should be proportional to the square of Newton's constant $G$. This offers a possible explanation for the success of the approximation $G m^6 c^2…
The quantum fluctuations of the flux tube joining two static sources in the confining phase of a lattice gauge theory are described by an effective string theory. The predictions of the latter for ratios of Wilson loops of equal perimeter…
Based on the general form of the master equation for open quantum systems the tunneling is considered. Using the path integral technique a simple closed form expression for the tunneling rate through a parabolic barrier is obtained. The…
Any quantum system interacting with a complex environment undergoes decoherence. Empty space is filled with vacuum energy due to matter fields in their ground state and represents an underlying environment that any quantum particle has to…
The imposition of boundary conditions upon a quantized field can lead to singular energy densities on the boundary. We treat the boundaries as quantum mechanical objects with a nonzero position uncertainty, and show that the singular energy…
Turbulent flows are out-of-equilibrium because the energy supply at large scales and its dissipation by viscosity at small scales create a net transfer of energy among all scales. Here, the energy cascade is approximated by a combined…